Debates

Around the globe, cities are growing at a remarkable pace. Especially in developing countries, rural-to-urban migration is creating new administrative, infrastructural and social challenges. Can megacities address these challenges and provide a model for life in the 21st century?

Mobility is the central issue for tomorrow’s cities. Without mobility, economic growth and political life become impossible. We need to break with existing networks and move towards communication and transportation systems designed around the individual user.

Along with the emergence of global cities, we witness the emergence of slums. What is often overlooked is the critical economic role played by informal settlements. Slums give rise to new identities and support the formal economy by providing a structure from below.

Even a few years ago, the thought of self-sustained living might have invoked images of fringe activism. But advances in biofuels and solar technology have made it easier than ever to move off the grid without losing some of the amenities of modern life. But why would you?

We can lead self-sustaining lives without sacrificing our standard of living. The only thing we need is the knowledge needed to create autarchic communities, and a mechanism to pass it along. The Open Source Ecology movement aims to provide that toolkit.

Our current system of trade is based on the availability of cheap fossil fuels. Yet the time nears when prices will rise and oil will become increasingly scarce. If we want to avoid this vulnerability, we must now begin to think about ways to reduce our dependency and promote the idea of self-sustaining towns and communities.

The Amish people in Pennsylvania have long maintained independence from the rest of society. But even they have begun to embrace modern technology. Solar panels have made life easier while protecting the self-sufficiency that many Amish guard so fiercely.

We are increasingly linked to global social networks. But what if someone decides to go offline – or if groups are somehow unable to participate in the new networks? The European takes a closer look at emerging patterns of communication and connectivity among the digital natives.

Listening, persuading, mobilizing – political campaigning and canvassing are made easier by the social web. Now that the Obamamania is over, political parties are well-advised to continue courting their online supporters.

Everyone is looking at Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. But these conflicts are neither isolated from a larger context nor unique in their disruptive potential. We shift the focus: to Southeast Asia, to Kashmir, or to Taiwan. What are the unresolved tensions, and what solutions can we expect?

The Kashmir border region between India and Pakistan remains a volatile hot spot in Asia. Violence and vested interests have long prevented viable solutions. But unless the two countries resolve their issues, the conflict will only increase the influence of Afghan war-lords and Al Qaida.

The long shadow of the Soviet Union can be felt even today. Around Russia, former republics and part-republics are experiencing turmoil across national and ethnic borders. If Moscow is not careful to play her cards right, destabilizing forces could soon become energized.